Chick box



INVENTOR.

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H. D. TICHENOR CHICK BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet l (i f2 Lf" o o o o o O o o lin/@01.9 D. FCHENOR,

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Patented May 25, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE CHICK BOX Harold D. Tichenor, Terre Haute, Ind., asslgnor to Wabash Fibre Box Co., Terre Haute, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application January 21, 1949, Serial No. 71,995

2 Claims.

This invention relates to boxes of the type used in shipping baby chicks. It is an object of the invention to produce a chick box which can be simply and economically manufactured, which will possess adequate strength, and which will provide advantages in assembly. The invention relates particularly to an improved construction of a partition and box-cover.

In carrying out the invention, the box-body may be formed of a single piece of corrugated board or similar foldable material and has a bottom, end walls, and side walls, the side walls being lower at their center than at their ends. The box is divided interiorly by a transverse partition formed of a single blank to provide a double-thickness wall and a double-thickness ear located centrally of the wall in position to extend upwardly through a slot in the box-cover. The two thicknesses of the partition are provided respectively and at opposite ends with ears foldable to extend in opposite directions perpendicularly to the partition and adapted to be secured to the side walls of the box. The box cover, which is formed with a peripheral flange to overlap the upper edges of the side and end walls, is scored transversely at its center to permit it to rest upon the upper edges of the side Walls and is also provided with a slot to receive the ear on the partition. Such ear is provided with tongues which, by engagement with the cover, serve to retain it in place.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention: Figs. l to 4 illustrate blanks for forming, respectively, the box-body, a longitudinal partition, the transverse partition, and the boxcover; Fig. 5 is an isometric view of the complete box with the cover in place; Fig. 6 is an isometric view of a box-body in partially erected condition; Figs. '7 and 8 are fragmental longitudinal sections illustrating the manner in which the transverse partition and cover co-operate; and Fig. 9 is a fragmental isometric view showing a modied form of cover-retaining tongues.

The box blank shown in Fig. l comprises a central panel I0, end wall panels I I and side wall panels I2, the wall panels being separated from the bottom panel I Il by score lines I3 about which the end panels may be folded into vertical positions. The side wall panels I2 are provided at their ends with naps I4, separated from the side Wall panels by score lines I5 about which they can be folded to overlie the end walls II when the box is erected.

The longitudinal partition illustrated in Fig. 2 comprises a body portion I1 having end flaps IB 2 separated from the portion I'I by score lines I9 so that the end flaps I3 can readily be folded into positions perpendicular to the body of the panel. Those edges of the partition-body I and of the side wall panel I2 which constitute the upper edges in the nished box are inclined toward the middle of the box, as will be clear from Fig. 6.

The blank illustrated in Fig. 3, which forms the transverse partition of the finished box, comprises a central portion divided by a pair of closely spaced score lines 2| into ears 22 respectively integral with wall panels 23. The wall panels 23 are provided respectively and at opposite ends with aps 24 separated from the wall panels by score lines 25. Each of the flaps 24 is desirably provided with a slot 26 adapted to receive a tongue 21 on the adjacent end of the other wall panel 23. The ears 22 are cut to provide coverretaining tongues 28 hinged to the ears 22 near and parallel to the score lines 2l. The outer edges of the panels 23 are provided with aligned notches 29 which, when the blank is doubled on itself about the score lines 2 I, co-operate with a notch 30 in the longitudinal partition I'I to per- .f mit the two partitions to be crossed.

The cover-blank, shown in Fig. 4, comprises a central body portion 32, end flaps 33, and side ilaps 34. Score lines permit the flaps 33 and 34 to be folded into positions generally perpendicular to the center panel 32. Ears 35 on the ends of the side panels 34 are foldable about score lines 31 to overlie the end flaps 33 when the cover is erected. At its center, the body panel 32 is provided with a transverse slot 3B and with score lines 39 aligned with such slot and extending from the ends thereof to the sides of the panel. The side aps 34 are provided at their centers with notches 49 which extend inwardly toward but terminate short of the adjacent score lines 35.

In erecting the box, the end and side panels II and I2 are folded upwardly, the flaps I4 being folded inwardly to overlap the end panels II and being secured thereto as by staples 45. The longitudinal partition I1 is put in place with its end flaps I 8 bent to extend along the end walls I I, to which they may be secured by staples 46. The transverse partition is formed by folding the blank of Fig. 3 about the score lines 2I to bring the panels 23 into superposed relationship. Each iiap 24 is then folded over the end of the opposite panel 23, the tongue 21 entering the slot 26. The partition, in this condition, is inserted into the box as indicated in Fig. 6, and the flaps 24 are secured as by stapling to the side walls I2.

The cover is erected by folding the end and side wall flaps 33 and 34 into perpendicular relation with the center panel 32, the ears 36 being folded inwardly and secured as by stapling to the end flaps 33. As thus erected, the cover retains suicient rigidity so that the center panel 32 remains plane, such rigidity arising from the fact that the notches 40 do not extend the full width of the side naps 34. This permits the cover to be readily handled from one end and to be applied to and removed from the box as necessary prior to nal closure thereof. When the box is to be nally closed, the cover is placed in position with the ears 22 of the transverse partition in line with the slot 33, and downward force is applied to the cover above such partition to force the middle or the cover downwardly. As a result of this downwardly applied force, the uncut portions of the cover panels 3G adjacent the bottoms of the notches t0 tear, thus permitting the cover to fold about the score line 39 and rest upon the inclined upper edges of the side walls [Zand center partition Il'. As the center portion of the cover moves downwardly, the tongues 28 collapse and pass through the slot 38 in the cover; and when the cove: is nally seated, such tongues are displaced outwardly into the positions illustrated in Fig. 7 to hol-:l the cover in association with the box. 1f it is desired to remove the cover from association with the box, the two halves of the cover are swung upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 8, thus forcing the two ears 28 together so that they can pass through the cover-slot when the cover is lifted upwardly.

ln Fig'. 9 I have shown cover-retaining tongues 20' of modified forni. Such tongues are out from the ears but are joined thereto along vertical side edges rather than at their upper edges. The tongues 25 are left in the planes of the respective ears 22 until the box is closed by application of the cover, when they can be forced out, preferably in opposite directions as shown in Fig. 9, to overlie the cover and hold it in association with the box. Raising of the cover-halves to vertical pcsition will force the tongues 28 back into the planes of the ears and permit removal o the cover, in much the same manner as is illustrated for the tongues 'i8 in Fig. 8.

Desirably, the center partition is so proportioned that the upper edges of the folded ears 22 will be substantially co-planar with the end edges of the cover 32 in order to aid in supporting a superposed chick box of similar construction.

The cover and wall panels of the box are, of course, provided with ventilation openings.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cover for a chick box having a bottom, end walls, side walls the upper edges of which slope downwardly from the end walls to the mid-points of the side walls, and a transverse partition extending between the mid-points of the side walls and having an upwardly projecting ear, said cover being normally flat and provided with a depending peripheral ange comprising side portions adapted to overlap the side walls of the box and end portions adapted to overlap the end walls of the box, the side portions of said flange being provided at their mid-points with notches extending upwardiy from their lower edges which have a limited extent along such side portions and which terminate short of the upper edges of the flange to leave the side portions continuous for a portion of their width and thereby stiffen the cover, the cover having a central transverse slot for the reception of the ear on the box-partition and being formed of tearable material whereby upon the application of sufcient downward force upon the central portion said side portions will be torn above said notches and permit the cover to bend to conform to the inclined upper edges of said side walls.

2. A cover as set forth in claim 1 with the addition that the side portions of said anges are of substantially uniform width except within the limits of said notches.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 598,581 Spencer Feb. 8, 1898 1,781,279 Gorsuch Nov. 11, 1930 2,992,013 Kieclhefer May 21, 1935 2,077,588 Schaefer Apr. 20, 1937 2,105,953 Quellette Jan. 18, 1938 2,155,450 Shoemaker Apr. 25, 1939 2,273,390 Warren Feb. 17, 1942 2,319,924 Ferguson May 25, 1943 2,333,244 Gordon Nov. 2, 1943 2,349,364 Marshall May 23, 1944 2,360,117 Fellowes Oct. 10, 1944 2,493,698 Williamson et al. July 9, 1946 2,417,603 Miller Nlar. 4, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 162 Great Britain Jan. 3, 1907 

